The sexy-fast car with the frumpy name – Gumpert – is now available in small-scale from Siku

We’ve oft lamented in this space that toy companies seem to be doing the same cars over and over again – four 3-inch Porsche Panameras have been announced for 2011, for example – so when we see something new, we celebrate. Siku has done exactly this with its new Gumpert Apollo.

The Apollo has been produced in Germany since 2005; it’s powered by an Audi twin-turbo V-8 putting out 641hp, goes 0-62 MPH in 2.9 seconds, reaches 120 MPH in 8.8 seconds, and weighs just 1,100-1,200 kilograms (2,400-2,600 pounds). In terms of rarity and unobtanium, it’s up there with the likes of the Pagani Zonda, an extreme slice of performance so specialized that few have ever heard of it.

As for the model itself … as most Siku cars do these days, it clocks in around 1/55th-scale – it feels good and substantial in the hand. Both gullwing doors open, and while the body is metal, the chassis is plastic – largely smooth, save for the ground effects strakes in front and back, and, of course, the usual Siku information like the car’s power and torque ratings, top speed and engine displacement. (See? It’s not just a model – it’s an educational tool! Teach your kid about cars AND how to speak German, all in one!) The doors open smoothly using the mirror buds as a lifting point. The various body vents – over the front wheels, on either side of the door sides, on the engine cover – are sprayed black, which relieves the model Apollo of being just a big blue blob. Headlamps and taillamps are separate pieces – the clear headlamps are painted silver from the back, while the taillamps are molded in clear red. The wheels are prototypical, on soft treaded tires, but are molded in a dull gray. Detailers who get between the spokes with a flat-black paint wash will be rewarded with a sharp-looking wheel, though it could still stand to be brighter. Nose and tail tampos are crisply registered. And that wing is a separate piece, painted shiny black.

Downsides? Three minor ones, one larger one. The molded-in side mirrors are heftier than the dainty things on the real car, doubtless for durability, the driver’s-side window is made smaller by chunky door pillars, likely for the same reason, and the air scoop poking over the roof has been shrunken slightly compared to photos of the real thing. Oh, and the larger issue? Siku isn’t readily available in the States, which means you’ll have to have a friend in Germany (or Austria, as your author does), or else start scouring online auction sites. They cost about 3.5 euros in stores, so figure about $5 to start. It’ll look good next to the Bugatti Veyron they did a couple of years back.

Paulsays:

April 9, 2011 9:02 am

Codysays:

November 3, 2013 12:40 pm

I recently began collecting Siku, and although my focus is an farm equipment and emergency vehicles, I like the brand. I’ve now learned several German words from my collection alone. “Rettungsdienst” means “rescue service”, “feuerwehr” means fire brigade or Fire Dept. as we Americans would call it. Notarzt is in the German EMS system an emergency doctor (they don’t really use paramedics as we do). Krankenwagen means ambulance.

One problem though, US availability is poor. It takes quite awhile to find a US seller, and usually what they have is either old (three or four years old) or priced based on inflation (almost double it’s price in euros or British pounds)